


Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum

by vix_spes



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Community: hd-fan-fair, Flirting, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Romance, no magic, oblivious boys, unusual careers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-08
Updated: 2012-11-08
Packaged: 2018-01-01 10:29:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1043742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When they made it through this unscathed, Draco was going to kill his boss…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum

_“I just don’t see why Olly’s sexuality is such a big deal … does it really matter if he’s interested in men or women? Does it matter for any of us what our sexuality is? Whether we’re dating men or women or both doesn’t affect our ability to play rugby.”_

_Several very quick reporters pounced upon the vagueness of Harry’s speech. “Mr Potter, are you saying that you’re gay?”_

_There was no response from Harry and all that did was make the assembled journalists even more desperate for an actual answer._

_“Mr Potter! Harry! Answer the question. Are you gay? Have you been in a relationship with another man?”_

_There was an incredibly long pause and then Harry deliberately leant into the microphone. “Yes.”_

_The room exploded and Harry was ushered out by a fuming blond, hoping to get ahead of what was by now, a rabid press pack._

                                                                            ~*~

When Draco opened the curtains at six am, there was already quite a collection of press surrounding Harry’s front gate. The fact that there were press outside wasn’t all that surprising given that Harry was widely tipped to be the next captain of the English national squad and so the press had started following him around much more as he went around doing his day-to-day activities. However, the press pack outside Harry’s gate this morning was obscene to the extent of starting to obstruct the road. If he wasn’t mistaken there were at least two television crews out there as well. It may only be six am but he wasn’t going to deal with this on his own. The press could wait but if Draco was going to have to be awake then it was only fair that Harry should be as well. After all, this was all his fault for having sprung it on Draco last night without warning.

_It_ was announcing in the middle of a press conference, one that was being broadcast live by the BBC no less, that he had been in a relationship with a man. Not that Draco had a problem with that because he really didn’t, but as Harry’s PA and publicist this was something that he really should have been informed about so that Draco could have been prepared for the shit storm that they currently found themselves embroiled in. Regardless of what the grumbling critics were no doubt saying, Harry was going to walk away with his reputation, career and all of his endorsements intact because Draco Malfoy was incredibly good at his job. There was a reason why Draco commanded such a high salary and why the actor who had just been named as the new Doctor Who was currently trying to poach Draco away from Harry. Not that that was going to happen. Draco had absolutely no intention of going to work for some egotistical, arrogant man-child, who spent half his life primping in front of a mirror before falling out of clubs and the other half in front of a camera. His current client was bad enough when he went out drinking with his team-mates and even worse when on tour. Draco then decided to make a concerted effort to wake Harry up, banging pots and pans excessively, slamming doors with more force than was really necessary all the while mentally apologising to the lovely couple that lived downstairs. If necessary he’d purchase something as an apology.

After fifteen minutes his efforts were rewarded as a bleary-eyed Harry appeared yawning as he scratched his belly which was annoyingly visible as the git was only wearing a pair of low-slung pyjama pants. Immediately Draco returned his attention back to the stove in the desperate hope that if he didn’t look then hopefully he wouldn’t start drooling over Harry’s annoyingly perfect musculature in his arms. He just didn’t understand it in the slightest. Why was he so fixated on Harry’s arms? Especially when you considered that Harry had abs that had been the focus of numerous articles in the women’s weeklies. It wasn’t even as though Draco was actually interested in Harry that way. Even though Draco was gay, he was definitely married to his work. Love, relationships and all that rot could come later; his career and his work were the most important things in his life at the moment.

“It’s six am Draco. Why am I up this early when I haven’t got training? Why are you here anyway? Didn’t you go home last night?”

“If you’ll look out of the windows you’ll see why you’re up this early. And no, I didn’t go home last night. I thought it was better not to considering your little stunt last night.”

“My little stunt? When? What are you talking about?”

“ _What are you talking about?”_ Draco mimicked. “I swear you’ve taken too many blows to the head Potter or are you just being monumentally stupid this morning?” Draco slammed the pans around a bit more and cursed the coffee maker that wasn’t working fast enough. “Yes, your little stunt yesterday where you announced on live television that you’re gay.”

“Oh, that.” Harry shrugged his shoulders, “That’s not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?” Draco was all but screeching and he winced at the tone and pitch of his own voice. “There are at least thirty members of the media out there, I haven’t dared to look at my phone yet and it’s not a big deal. Just when were you going to mention all of this to me?” Draco dished up the food and slammed the plates down on the breakfast bar. “You were at a conference to discuss the fact that England are bidding for the next rugby world cup. You weren’t supposed to out yourself!” Draco took a healthy gulp of his coffee praying that the life-giving nectar would soothe his nerves.

Harry didn’t seem to be too perturbed by the fact that Draco was currently trying to stave off a minor meltdown opposite him and ate several mouthfuls before he spoke again. “It just slipped out in the heat of the moment. It’s not as if I planned it.” He paused as if something had just occurred to him. “It’s not a problem is it? That I’m … you know.”

“Of course that’s not a problem, especially as I’m that way inclined myself.”

“Really?” Draco completely missed the speculative gleam that appeared in Harry’s eyes. “Well, I’m not actually gay … bisexual is probably the easiest way to explain it but I’m much more attracted to men than I am to women.”

“Well, thank you for clearing that up. I’d better go and grab my phone so I can start on disaster management.” Draco was gone barely two minutes before he was storming back into the room. “I’m going to kill you Potter. Eighty five missed calls, forty voicemails, one hundred text messages and countless emails. To top it all off, you’re apparently trending on Twitter. I don’t even want to think about your Facebook page or your website forums. This is so far beyond damage limitation it’s untrue. I’m going to have to stay here until we’ve sorted this whole mess out. I’ll get Pansy to stop by my flat and then the office to pick up the essentials. I’ll deal with all of these messages and then start writing a press release. Don’t answer your phone unless it’s someone you know and even then you need to exercise caution. The same goes for the door.”

Draco raised an eyebrow as Harry simply sat there. “Well, what are you waiting for? We have work to do and you have training this afternoon.”

                                                                                ~*~

That afternoon, Harry ran the gauntlet of press waiting outside his door shielding his eyes from the light bulb flashes that were going off like rapid gunfire. He felt a bit guilty at leaving Draco on the door to deal with everything but consoled himself with the fact that it was Draco’s job and he was perfectly well-equipped to deal with the situation. He hadn’t been expecting to run an identical gauntlet outside the grounds of the club when he turned up. Admittedly, there had been an increased interest in the club following England winning the Six Nations as four members of the winning squad played for the club. He had seen Ron’s car when he pulled into the car park and, sure enough, the redhead was waiting for him just inside the doors, a wide grin splitting his face.

“Harry!”

He walked over and hugged his best friend and team-mate, shaking his head as he did so. “Don’t start mate, I’ve heard it all from Draco this morning.”

Ron just smirked. “I bet you did. Blondie probably went ape-shit. He can be a drama queen sometimes but I reckon it was well-deserved. I can’t believe that you’ve never said anything to him. Hell, I can’t believe that he’s never noticed, he’s an intelligent bloke.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ve got it bad for your beloved PA. Me and several of the lads have noticed that more than a couple of your conquests have looked like Malfoy.”

“Yeah, whatever. We’d better go and change or Coach will kill us when we’re late.”

“Subtle Harry. Real subtle. You’re not fooling anybody but you’re right.”

Ron led the way, Harry following behind him, chattering on about his twin brothers latest antics and completely oblivious to the fact that Harry wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention to him. Instead, he was pondering Ron’s words and the fact that several of his flings had borne more than a passing resemblance to Draco. Maybe Ron was right and Harry wasn’t as subtle as he thought he had been in regards to his attraction to his PA. Then again, did he need to be subtle? Okay, so Draco was Harry’s employee and all that rot but there was no denying that part of the reason that Harry had hired Draco was because he was not only an incredibly competent PA but he was also very easy on the eye. That hadn’t changed in the years that Draco had been working for him and Harry couldn’t see that changing any time soon. Harry had been amazed that morning how right it had felt to have Draco making breakfast in his flat and just how happy he had been to discover that Draco had spent the night. Would it be so wrong for Harry to make his interest known? If Draco wasn’t interested then that would be the end of it and if he were … well, probably best that he didn’t go there at the moment given that he’d just walked into the locker room.

For the next three hours Harry put all thoughts of last night’s press conference, and indeed of Draco, out of his mind and focused on the drills they were running as part of today’s training session. At the end of the session, chugging the protein shake that had been left in his kit bag by Draco - although who knew when he had done that, he called his farewells to the changing room in general and wandered back out in the direction of the car park and his car. From inside the building he could see that there were still a horde of press hanging around the gates and groaned loudly. Gritting his teeth in preparation he was just about to open the door when his shoulder was grabbed and he was prevented from going anywhere. Turning around he saw Ron looking over his shoulder at the waiting press with sympathy.

“Come on mate, dinner with me and Hermione tonight. You can phone Draco when we get to mine.”

“Sounds great Ron.” Harry smiled and nodded before a look of horror crossed his face. “Just promise me that Hermione isn’t cooking?” He absolutely adored Ron’s wife, she was one of his closest friends along with Ron, but there was no way that he would eat Hermione’s food even if you paid him. She was a wonderful woman, incredibly intelligent, and a real high-flyer, but she couldn’t cook to save her life.

“Nope. It’s takeaway so you’re going to be safe. Mum wants you over for dinner soon though.”

Harry quirked an eyebrow at the waiting paparazzi and shook his head, “That’s not going to happen any time soon mate. I don’t want to subject your family to that lot over there. Although it would be amusing to set your mum on them, no-one would come near me then.”

“Very true. Paparazzi have got nothing on my mum. Come on, let’s make a run for it. I’ll see you at mine yeah?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you there. Let’s hope that they don’t follow us.”

                                                                                  (~*~)

At the precise minute that Draco received the text from Harry informing him of his change in plans regarding his evening, Draco had just arrived at his own flat to meet Pansy and pack the items that he would need to stay at Harry’s for a few days. As much as he loved his best friend this was one thing that he needed to do himself; he was rather particular when it came to himself and the way that he presented himself.

“You almost look disappointed, Drakie. What’s the matter? You look as though your little crush has told you he’s got a boyfriend.”

“Must you always be such a bitch Pansy? And don’t call me Drakie!”

“Whatever. And yes, being a bitch is part and parcel of being your fag hag.”

“You’re not my fag hag. I haven’t got a fag hag.”

“Of course you have a fag hag; I’m it. I’m your best friend. Now, what did the dishy Mr Potter want?”

“How do you know that it was Harry? I do get texts from other people you know.”

Pansy smiled as she shook her head. “Poor deluded little Drakie. No you don’t get texts from other people, not since Blaise upped and left. You get texts from Harry, me, and your mother, that’s it. Considering that I’m here and Narcissa’s in the south of France with your father that only leaves Harry. So, what did lover boy want then?”

“Just to say that he’s staying at the Weasley’s for the evening. Don’t roll your eyes Pans.”

“What? The wife might be intelligent but is it too much to ask for her to make an effort with the way she looks? Anyway, now that he isn’t around for the evening that means you can come out with me. We can go and try that new restaurant that’s just opened in Soho.”

“I can’t. I have to work.”

“Draco, I work for possibly _the_ most narcissistic young actor in the country and I don’t do nearly half as much work as you. That isn’t right.”

“Pansy, my boss just announced that he’s shagged men in front of a live TV audience. I have a serious amount of damage control to do.”

“Draco, take the bloody evening off. It won’t kill you. Come out for dinner, just dinner, and I’ll give you a hand tomorrow and call in some favours. Come on, it’s not as if I’m asking you to go out and shag some random stranger. Although, come to think of it, when was the last time that you got laid?”

“Pansy!” Draco hissed, his cheeks flushing. “Don’t say things like that.”

“What? It’s a genuine question.” Pansy sprawled across Draco’s bed, watching him as he meticulously packed his toiletries and hung his suits up in the waiting suit carrier. “Your mother’s worried about you; she doesn’t think you have enough of a social life. I know the truth. You don’t have a social life or a sex life because you’re too hung up on your boss. You always thought he was straight and that that was the only obstacle, we’re ignoring the fact that he’s your boss, but now the obstacle has gone. He has no problem with sleeping with men so just sleep with him and get him out of your system or whatever.”

“It’s not that simple, Pansy.”

“Of course it is, it’s always that simple. Come on, hurry up. I want to actually eat tonight.”

Draco ignored her and simply went back to his packing, double checking that he had everything that he would need because the chances of him getting back out of Harry’s flat and past the awaiting journalists were slim to none. It had been bad enough getting out of the building in order to meet Pansy. To be fair to his best friend, she had offered to get everything that he needed both from the office that they shared and from his flat but he had been happier doing it all himself. And that wasn’t because he was completely anal, it was just that he knew that he knew exactly where everything was and the thought of Pansy rummaging through his clothes was, quite frankly, terrifying.

The real reason that he wanted to avoid having dinner with Pansy was because she knew him far too well, she always had. The Malfoy’s and the Parkinson’s were old friends and Draco and Pansy had grown up together although that wasn’t the reason that they had ended up in the same profession. Draco liked being the person controlling things, the manipulator in the background while Pansy loved the glamour hence why her primary clients were both actors. But, because they had grown up together, Pansy knew everything about his private life, where his tastes lay and even who he was crushing on at any particular moment in time, normally without him saying a word and that was truly terrifying. Whereas Draco was leery about getting involved with someone that was his employer, Pansy had no such scruples and several of her clients had left her after getting involved with her only for it to not go in the direction that they were hoping. Draco could claim that he was married to his work until the cows came home and pigs flew but there was no way in hell that Pansy would believe him. She had told him when he had first started working for Harry that he was going to fall head over heels and he’d ignored her, telling himself that he wouldn’t be so stupid. Except of course he was and he’d fallen for his boss within three months of starting work.

“Drakie, if you don’t get your arse out here in three minutes then I’m going to phone Narcissa and tell her that you’re pining away and then you won’t be able to escape.”

“Keep your knickers on Pansy, I’m nearly finished.”

“You should know by now that I don’t wear knickers Draco, you’ve got two and a half minutes left.”

Bitch. That was it, he was just going to have to grab a few things from his home office and hope that he had enough clothes and toiletries to last him. That was the other problem with Pansy; she didn’t bullshit. Hopefully he could get her plastered enough that she would get distracted and not pester him about Harry but in all probability that wouldn’t work. Pansy seemed to have inherited her alcohol tolerance from her mother and that was an impressive feat. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury of being able to get drunk; he was going to need a clear head and a sharp mind if he was going to control this situation.

                                                                                  ~*~

Two days later and things were becoming even worse. Harry’s flat was completely and utterly besieged with press which was making getting to training sessions an interesting concept. Draco, who still hadn’t left Harry’s flat, seemed to be surgically attached to both his phone and his laptop. Draco had always been fantastic at his job but now he was proving that he was worth every penny that Harry paid him. After his conversation with Ron, and then an enlightening conversation with Ron and Hermione that same evening, Harry had found his thoughts increasingly occupied by his blond PA; almost to the point of distraction. Case in point being this very minute when he was still ostensibly in the middle of a training session and should be focusing on line-out tactics and not on how right it felt having Draco living in his flat and how adorable he looked when he was all rumpled and half-asleep. Which of course meant that Harry wanted to see him like that as a result of being shagged through the mattress rather than simple sleep. As the session drew to a close, muscles burning and dripping with sweat, Harry noticed that a couple of the lads were whispering comments to each other before looking over in his direction and sniggering.

“What’s so funny you two?”

“Nothing but hadn’t you better go and see what your wife wants?”

“Wife? What the hell are you two on? You know damn well that I haven’t got a bloody wife or have you had your heads stuck up your arses for the last couple of days?”

One of the lads had the grace to look slightly sheepish. “Sorry, just a joke … your PA’s over there.”

Harry looked over in the direction the man had pointed in. As he had said there was Draco holding what looked like, if Harry squinted, a protein shake and a suit carrier. Draco didn’t normally turn up at training sessions so Harry jogged over and accepted the bottle that was thrust towards him automatically drinking half of it before he asked the burning question.

“What are you doing here at the club? You never come to the club; we always meet somewhere else because you won’t come here.”

“Yes well, needs must and all that. What with your little slip of the tongue two days ago there’s a lot to be addressed and I’ve convinced the chairman to let us hold a press conference here.”

“Press conference here?” Harry was aware that he was parroting what Draco had said somewhat dumbly but he was completely amazed by how fast Draco had managed to work. “When?”

“Well as soon as you look presentable we can start so you’d better get a move on otherwise we’re going to be here forever.”

“Hey! That’s unfair! I can do presentable quickly.” Harry was well-aware of how pathetic he sounded.

“There are different standards of presentable; your standard and mine. Yours is definitely not good enough for a press conference so will you kindly take this suit off me, shower and get changed.”

Harry did as he was told, somewhat amazed by Draco’s suddenly forceful personality, moving in the direction of the showers until Draco called out to him again.

“Oh and Harry? That reprobate godfather of yours turned up again after you left this morning; I wasn’t sure if he was suffering from jet-lag or a hangover so I put him to bed in the other guest room.”

“Ok thanks.” Harry deliberately didn’t think about how domestic that had just sounded. “Oh! What about a speech? I haven’t got anything prep…” he tailed off sheepishly as Draco simply raised an eyebrow at him. “And of course I don’t need to think about that because you’ve already written one for me. I’ll just go and get changed.”

                                                                                    (~*~)

When Harry returned Draco had to remind himself to both breathe and not drool all over his Saville Row suit; he may be working as a PA, but he was still a Malfoy and thus, nothing but the best would do. Besides, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t afford it. Harry’s suit wasn’t from Saville Row but it was a more than acceptable black suit with a subtle pinstripe from last year’s Armani autumn/winter collection. He was wearing a simple open-necked white shirt that made his eyes seem impossibly green and he had even managed to tame his wild locks somewhat. Knowing that he needed to get back into a business frame of mind Draco cleared his throat and handed Harry a neatly typed sheet of paper.

“Read that over and make sure that you won’t stumble over anything. You’ve got about five minutes. I’ll make the introductions then you’ll make your statement and we’ll leave. No question and answer session. We’ll deal with further questions later; we just need to get this out there first.”

Harry was left to himself to read through the statement that Draco had prepared as Draco himself talked to the chairman and dealt with a few last minute details that had arisen. It seemed like no time at all before Draco was stood in front of Harry and telling him that it was time to start the press conference. The minute that they walked into the rearranged board-room that was jam-packed with photographers and reporters all eagerly awaiting what Harry would say. The flashes of light bulbs as Harry entered the room was almost blinding leaving him slightly disoriented so he was more than happy to sit back and let Draco make his opening statements.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for joining us this afternoon for this impromptu conference. My client’s comments on Wednesday were said in the heat of the moment and were not intended to detract from the conference itself. However, this does not lessen the truth of what he said. Mr Potter has decided to stand by his comments and release the following statement which he will read himself.”

Harry took a deep breath before looking down at the single printed piece of paper grateful that, even though Draco had obviously written it, it didn’t sound so unlikely that they were Harry’s sentiment.

“Thank you for coming today ladies and gentlemen. As Mr Malfoy said, despite my comments being made in what was probably not the right forum, I have decided to stand by them because I feel that to back track and say that I didn’t mean them when I did would be lying to myself as well as to the general public. As a result, I have decided to make the following statement in an attempt to clear things up.

Sexuality or rather the concept of being anything other than heterosexual is not something that plays a huge part in professional rugby. Even those of us who are privileged enough to be part of the national team aren’t subjected to the same media attention as that of our footballing counterparts, something that we are all incredibly grateful for. However, despite the courage that he recently showed by admitting the fact that he is homosexual, even though his hand was forced by other factors, my team-mate and Scottish international Oliver Wood has come under criticism for his open acknowledgement of his sexuality. This has nothing to do with his ability to play rugby. He is still a top-flight international, a brilliant player and a good team-mate and friend. His sexuality changes none of that.

Indeed, if it did then I would be immensely hypocritical. Whilst I am not homosexual, I do consider myself to be bisexual and have dated both men and women in the past. None of this has had any effect on my rugby. I am not ashamed by my sexuality and do not feel that neither myself nor Oliver should be made to feel ashamed as a result of our honesty.

I would like to thank everybody who has supported me up to this point. I am incredibly grateful and hope that your support will remain unwavering despite what I have revealed today.”

Having finished the statement that Draco had prepared for him Harry sat back and let Draco finish things off.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for coming today. I’m afraid that Mr Potter won’t be taking any questions so that will be all. Thank you.”

Draco stood and ushered Harry out in front of him as quickly as possible so that they could avoid the press that were about to start leaving.

“Come on, let’s leave and make sure that your godfather hasn’t destroyed your flat. You can change when we get there.”

“Thank you Draco, I really do appreciate it.”

“No problem. It’s my job.”

“Still, thanks anyway.” Harry did his best to ignore the pang of hurt that went through him at Draco’s words and focused on the prospect of seeing his godfather.

                                                                                    ~*~

Harry couldn’t believe that he was going to attempt this but the press attention had decreased enough that Draco had announced that he would be returning to his own flat the following day and Sirius had somehow convinced him that it was a good idea. Thankfully, his godfather had departed from London the previous day in order to resume his travels otherwise this would be highly embarrassing and in all probability Harry wouldn’t even consider attempting it. As it was, it was going to be hugely embarrassing. The problem was, nothing else was working. He had attempted sending Draco flowers but apparently he was allergic and so the bouquets that were deemed suitable were given to Pansy while the others were distributed amongst the women living in the surrounding flats as an apology for the disturbance caused by the press intrusion. Harry had tried leaving chocolates around in the flat only for those to either be thrown in the bin or again, donated to the occupants of the surrounding flats. The excuse there had been that Harry wasn’t supposed to eat chocolate during the season (or at least chocolates that were so luxurious and in such large quantities) and that Draco certainly couldn’t eat it because Harry was so troublesome that he never had any time to go to the gym. He’d even attempted wandering around the flat in minimum clothing and even just a towel on several occasions.

Now he was going to attempt something that was even more of a risk. Taking a deep breath he left his bedroom and entered the bathroom clad only in a towel and left the door wide open. Turning on the shower, he allowed the water to heat up and dropped his towel. He felt rather self-conscious as he took himself in hand, not entirely sure who was worse – Sirius for suggesting this or himself for actually giving it a go, and slowly started to stroke himself. It didn’t take him long to get into what he was doing and forget why he was doing it as his eyes slid shut and an image of Draco appeared behind his eyelids. Dimly, just over the sound of the running water and his own exertions, he heard a faint gasp that signalled that Draco was there and that he was watching. Somehow, the exhibitionism of the whole thing tipped him over the edge and he spilled himself over his hand with a cry of “Draco!”

Slumping over and resting against the cool tile of the shower wall he risked a look over his shoulder and saw that the doorway was empty. Draco had gone already. Sirius’ damn fool scheme hadn’t worked. It was a listless Harry that dried himself off and pulled on a pair of sweatpants before wandering into the kitchen with its large table that Draco had claimed as his temporary office. There was no sign of the blond and no sounds signalling occupancy in the rest of the flat. Harry’s attempt to seduce Draco had only succeeded in chasing him away.

                                                                                    ~*~

It had taken Harry longer than he had expected to get used to the fact that Draco was no longer living in his flat and had brought the realisation that it felt so right having Draco there. It had been nearly three months since Harry’s revelation at the press conference and Harry had been desperately trying to get Draco’s attention but failing miserably in every respect. He hadn’t even been particularly subtle, the very opposite in fact. Then again, he was a rugby player so he had never professed to be particularly subtle in the first place but then he was a forward and not a back so he was probably a bit more subtle than had it been somebody else on the team. Every single thing he had tried failed. The lads on the team were watching his progress avidly and were generally pissing themselves at his lack of progress, all the details of which were eagerly relayed by Ron, the traitor.

So, Harry had decided to go for what was probably the most obvious ploy of them all and ask Draco out for dinner. It had all been going so well. Draco had actually agreed quickly and without hesitation or reservation which was good; either he wanted to go out on a date or he hadn’t realised that it was a date. Either way, Harry could go all out and impress with the meal. Upon Hermione’s recommendation (Ron’s idea of a romantic meal was down the local Italian), he had booked a private table at a swanky restaurant, made an effort with his clothes and had attempted to tell Draco that he would pick him up. That hadn’t worked. Draco had ever so coolly informed him that he was spending the afternoon with his parents so would be coming straight from their town house and that it made no sense for Harry to attempt to cross town only to go back again.

He’d been so impressed with himself and then it had turned into a spectacular failure. Draco obviously hadn’t got the memo that it was a date. In fact, far from it. He was under the impression that Harry had asked him out for dinner to discuss business. He’d even brought paperwork with him. The minute Draco had arrived, he had even asked the waiter about swapping tables because their private table could give the wrong impression if they were seen. Harry had thought that maybe he was imagining things and that the business portion of the evening wouldn’t last for the whole meal but no, Draco talked business for the entire dinner. Harry’s response to this had been to drink the fancy, and very expensive, wine that he had ordered for them to share. This evening really hadn’t gone to plan he thought as Draco refused dessert and asked for the bill, all the while looking reprovingly at Harry and asking if drinking so much was a good idea when he had training the following day. Harry had felt like slamming his head against the table in frustration. He was just going to have to up his game but he had absolutely no idea how he was going to do that.

                                                                                  ~*~

“Seriously though, what the hell am I going to do? Whatever I try, he just doesn’t get the hint. I’ve tried taking him out for dinners, asking him out to the clubs with the rest of the guys, everything that I can think of but he just isn’t getting the hint. I’ve tried everything that Remus suggested and Sirius was just useless. I couldn’t even get him interested when he was living with me so I’ve got no hope now. It’s been six months Hermione.” Harry flopped down on the sofa and huffed loudly, drawing an amused look from Hermione. “What?”

“Have you not considered just talking to him? Surely that would be the easiest thing at this stage?”

“Hermione, you haven’t forgotten who you’re talking to have you? Me? You’ve known me for quite a few years now and you have to know that I’m not the most articulate person in the world.”

Hermione snorted. “Harry, I’m married to Ron. You do know your best friend don’t you? If you’re less articulate than a Weasley then I really will be surprised.”

Harry couldn’t help but laugh at that. She did have a point. There was no way that he was worse than Ron. He looked up as Hermione sat next to him and patted his hand, smiling sympathetically.

“Harry, I don’t want to be the one who say this but are you absolutely positive that Draco was really clueless? Is there any chance that he knew that you were trying to seduce him but that he was acting that way in order to let you down gently? You know, hope that you would lose interest?”

“I don’t think so. I hope not.” Harry couldn’t help but feel a bit forlorn at Hermione’s words but it obviously showed in his face because she curled into him.

“I’m sorry Harry. I didn’t want to say it but I just felt that it needed to be said. Like you said, it’s been six months. That’s a long time for him not to get the hint, especially with some of the things that you’ve tried.”

Harry smiled wanly as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her closer. “I know. Thanks Mione.”

“What’s wrong with you two? Has someone died?” Ron appeared and threw himself down on the opposite side of Harry to his wife.

“We were just discussing if Draco is actually as oblivious as he appears to be or whether he’s only acting oblivious in the hope that Harry will lose interest.”

“First one.” Ron’s answer was garbled around the piece of buttered bread that he was constantly stuffing in his mouth. “He fancies the pants off Harry so I don’t know what he’s playing at.”

“And what makes you say that Ron? Please try and swallow before you speak this time.”

“Bloody hell, you’re starting to sound like my mum Hermione. Harry, he can barely look at you without drooling. God knows how he manages to function as your PA. Look, the easiest thing you can do is just grab him and kiss him. If he pushes you away then I was wrong and he’s been trying to let you down. If he tries to stick his tongue down your throat then you’re onto a winner. You just need to decide when you’re going to make your move.”

“That’s it. That’s all you think I should do.”

“That’s it.”

“Who would have thought it, relationship advice from Ron Weasley.”

That was it as far as Ron and Harry were concerned. Hermione’s words combined with her dry tone of voice set them off into hysterics. Harry managed to recover long enough to answer, “Decision made then” before he was off again and Hermione left the two of them at it, slumped on the sofa cackling away like hyenas.

                                                                                        ~*~

Harry and Ron walked out into the corridor behind the room that they had been using for the latest press conference followed by Draco. It had been confirmed that England would be hosting the next rugby world cup and so a press conference had been held attended by some of England’s top internationals.

“Well that went a damn sight better than the last one. Thank you for not revealing anything else that I might have to deal with. I don’t think I can cope with anything else as big as what you pulled last time.”

Harry rolled his eyes as he looked at Ron with frustration and his best friend, the bastard, just smirked at him.

“Oh and I’ve had another five phone calls from Pansy and another ten from Marcus, her current client, asking if you’ll go out for dinner with him. It might be a good idea. He’s certainly very attractive and according to Pansy he’s not as big a vapid idiot as some of her former clients. He’s certainly your type.”

“I’m not interested Draco! How many times do I have to tell you?” Harry was well aware that Ron and the rest of the lads were watching this all with amusement; enjoying the free show that they were getting.

“Well I’m worried about you. You haven’t been going out and clubbing as much as you used to. You haven’t had one of your random one-night stands for nearly six months. Are you sure everything’s okay, you know…”

Anything else Draco was going to say was cut off as Harry reached out and grabbed the lapel of Draco’s suit and jerked him forward. He was probably going to get yelled at for that later but if this worked then he was positive that he would be able to come up with some way to placate Draco. Ignoring the fact that just beyond the door there was a whole host of journalists and that they were in a room full of his team-mates, Harry leant in and kissed Draco as he’d been wanting to for ages. He was so caught up in how amazing it felt to have Draco pressed against him and the sensation of Draco’s lips against his that he completely ignored the cheers and the catcalls coming from his teammates and Ron in particular. He smirked as he felt Draco finally melt against him and so didn’t pull back until oxygen was a necessity. Even then he wasn’t expecting the response that he received.

“Harry Potter, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Did you not learn anything from the last time you did something this stupid?”

“Draco, I’ve just kissed you and you’re saying that I’ve done something stupid. Just shut up and enjoy it.”

“Enjoy what? The fact that you’re going to have the press stalking you again and this time it’s going to be even worse because they’re going to following me around as well. Do you ever think before you act?”

Harry rolled his eyes. If he didn’t know Draco so well then he might actually be offended but that wasn’t the case. He was obviously just going to have to ignore the blond’s snarky attitude and just act. He wrapped an arm around Draco’s waist and pulled him even closer, silencing Draco’s protests with another kiss.

“Well how about this, you come with me and we can hole up in my bed for the next three days and hope that another sportsman has done something stupid by the time we emerge so they’ve forgotten all about me.”

Draco didn’t respond to Harry’s words but equally he made no protest as Harry used his grip on Draco’s waist to manoeuvre him out of the room. Unfortunately, half-way down the corridor he decided to stop being quite so placid and the rest of the lads couldn’t help but laugh as they heard his protests start up again.

                                                                                  (~*~)

By the time that Harry got both himself and Draco back to his flat, without being pursued by journalists thankfully, Draco had stopped protesting so much and was responding enthusiastically much to Harry’s delight. For a brief moment he did consider moving things straight to his bedroom but decided against it; he had wanted Draco for far too long to ruin this by dragging him into bed too quickly and besides, he still wanted to keep Draco as his PA for a little bit longer. So, instead of moving down the corridor in the direction of his bedroom he moved into the living room and sat down on the sofa and tugged Draco down into his lap; claiming his lips once more only for Draco to pull back.

“Hang on, where has this come from all of a sudden? Can you not get anybody else so you’re settling for me?”

“Where on earth are you getting that idea from? Are you completely clueless?” At Draco’s blank look Harry elaborated further. “The flowers that you gave away, the chocolates that you threw away, the nights out that you refused to come out on, the dinners at restaurants that you insisted on turning into meetings. Do you honestly think that I parade around shirtless or naked all the time?”

“Hang on, so all of those things were your attempts at seduction?” Draco still sounded rather disbelieving.

“Yes.” Harry started trailing kisses up Draco’s neck and along his jawline to just behind his ear. “Wasn’t it obvious? I thought that I had the subtlety of a brick. I mean, come on, not locking the door to the shower then having a wank and calling out your name? I thought that was pretty damn obvious.”

“I thought you said somebody else’s name.” Draco’s protest was weak and, judging by the flush on his neck, he knew it.

“How many names do you know that sound like Draco?”

“I suppose.”

“You suppose? And what about that t-shirt that I started wearing to work out while I was in the home-gym? ‘Ruck me, maul me, make me scrum’. How much more suggestive could I bloody get?”

Draco shifted slightly in Harry’s lap and started to trace the buttons of Harry’s shirt suggestively. “So there’s nothing wrong … you know?”

Harry gave a growl of frustration and ground Draco down into his hips. “Does it feel like there’s anything wrong?”

“No, I suppose not.” Draco’s fingers shifted lower. “So, is that something that you’d be interested in? Me making you come?”

“Bloody hell Draco! Do you even have to ask?”

“In that case, I’ve been wanting to suck your cock since I saw you in the shower so why don’t we start there?” Draco unzipped Harry’s trousers and slid off Harry’s lap and onto his knees, taking Harry’s trousers and pants with him.

At the first sensation of warm, wet heat wrapping around his cock Harry’s head thudded backwards onto the back of the couch. If they were starting here then he was going to be a dead man walking by the end of the evening. He didn’t care though. At least he would go happy.


End file.
